A discrimination device that determines appearance quality grades of grains is known, which captures images of grains by an image-capturing unit such as a scanner and obtains imaging data, and determines quality grades of the grains based on the imaging data (for example, refer to Patent Literature 1).
The above-described discrimination device that determines the appearance quality grades of grains is adapted to capture images of grains to be subjected to quality grade discrimination, the images being captured using the image-capturing unit, and thereby obtain the imaging data; obtain quality grade information on the grains (outer shape, area, length, width, color (RGB information), cracks in a body, etc.) on the basis of the imaging data; compare the quality grade information on the grains with a quality grade discrimination criteria that is specified in advance; and thus determine the quality grades of the grains.
In addition, the above-described discrimination device that determines appearance quality grades of grains is capable of readily and quickly determining the quality grades of numerous grains.
Meanwhile, according to traditional discrimination devices that determine appearance quality grades of grains, quality grade discrimination criteria are created by obtaining imaging data of multiple sample grains in advance; specifying quality grades of the respective sample grains sequentially while an operator visually confirms the imaging data on a display unit; and using quality grade information on the respective sample grains obtained on the basis of the imaging data.
However, since it requires proficiency to specify the quality grades as described above by the operator confirming the imaging data on the display unit, it is not easy to create quality grade discrimination criteria for granular materials in a discrimination device that determines appearance quality grades of grains.
Patent Literature 1 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-242284